Tag Archives: Taylor Cole

Hi! joysann here. Between the Fifty Shades and Magic Mike phenomena this year, we’ve observed a rising awareness in erotic romance and entertainment in largely female audiences, but for Ellora’s Cave Romantica® Publishing, it’s all old school. EC authors have been celebrating erotic romance for more than a decade, and they have the sales and the cover models to prove it. And for the last few of those years, Ellora’s Cave has been celebrating their authors and readers with the annual RomantiCon, a gala not to be missed.

RomantiCon 2012 was held this past week in Canton, Ohio, just south of EC’s Akron, Ohio, home base. The entire McKinley Grand Hotel (across the street from the historical National First Ladies’ Library and Museum) was reserved solely for the event, and it was a comfortable accommodation for all participants.

Author Cait Miller came from Scotland and Caveman Ryan flew in from South Africa

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Arrivals began early in the week, but the party started on Thursday night with the casual Meet & Greet, bringing together old friends excited to see each other again, and the chance to make new friends. With a good start on the eventual 300 or so attendees, the party was a happy and boisterous affair.

In the daytimes, while editor pitches were going on, there were workshops for authors to learn about writing good sexy stories or promoting themselves. And for the readers attending, there were fun sexy games and prizes, allowing an opportunity for everyone to let their hair down a little bit. The workshops were filled to standing room and gathering outside the door was a common experience for these popular classes.

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Nick Soto and Zumba

While all the classes and games were well appreciated, none was quite so enthusiastically attended as the Zumba class on Saturday morning, led by fitness and Zumba instructor, this year’s new “Alpha Caveman” contest winner, Nick.

RomantiCon has its serious business side, which is taken very seriously by the writers who want to keep improving professionally. But it’s also a celebration of fun, beauty and sexuality, and there is little more jubilant than dancing. Enter Ellora’s Cavemen, the cover models/fitness trainers/body builders/dancers. There can’t have been many women there (or men, for that matter) that didn’t enjoy the entertainment provided by these handsome, charming, energetic, enthusiastic professional performers.

Ellora’s Cave CEO Patty Marks with the Cavemen

To some, the chance to invent their fantasies (for writing purposes, of course) in the company of the Cavemen, with other like-minded women, is what makes RomantiCon as exciting as it is. The professionalism of these men lent to EC’s view that all women, no matter age or appearance, are beautiful, and that’s just how they made most of us feel.

Lisa of Cleveland Exotic Dance danced on stilts among the party goers all evening

And then there were the parties…

Friday Night reflected the Mayan calendar’s end of the world with the Last Dance of Your Life Party, with a Carnivale’ quality to the costumes.

Author Shoshanna Evers

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Cover artist Valerie Tibbs and reader Kate Marcille

Of course, that had to be followed Saturday night with the Survivors vs Walking Dead Dinner and Awards Banquet. Zombies and zombie slayers were everywhere. Creative costumes, terrific shows by the Cavemen choreographed by Caveman Georgio, demonstrations and entertainment by the Cleveland Exotic Dance group, and dancing the night away by most everyone made both evenings fabulous celebrations.

Sunday afternoon was the Romantica® SEXpo and Book Sale & Signing, with 80 authors, vendors and performances by the Cavemen and Cleveland Exotic Dance.

Cleveland Exotic Dance performers

It was a busy, bustling event with high spirits all around. Among the debut authors at the signing were a couple of Cavemen with a new release of their own. Take It Off, by Taylor Cole & Justin Whitfield, tells “the naked truth about male strippers,” and I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a bit curious.

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Authors Justin Whitfield and Taylor Cole

Last, but never least, the party wound down on Sunday evening with the increasingly popular Pizza and Bingo Pajama Party, with lots of prizes for both the games and many raffles. These come with lots of laughs and squee-ing as the prizes are delivered to the winners by the handsome Cavemen who got into the spirit of the event with schmoozy shenanigans to please their audience. At last, I won a prize, and, no, while it was very nice, it wasn’t dishy Caveman David.

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So that’s it for this year. I’ve come home having made new friends, had extraordinary conversations, and have lots of good books to read. It was a terrific weekend and I can’t think of a better time I’ve had at a conference. Next year’s event is already announced and planning has begun on RomantiCon 2013, and I highly recommend the experience to all fans of erotic romance.